SANDF to sell planes?




News iafrica 25 Jul 2013

The South African National Defense Force is reportedly considering selling off its Gripen fighter planes and its Agusta A109 helicopters as it has no money to operate them.


According to a Beeld report, the South African Air Force's 18 Agusta helicopters were occasionally enabled but the craft did not ascend.

Due to military budget cuts, the 26 Gripen fighters purchased in the controversial arms deal were also not being used. The report said that the SANDF was considering selling off the aircraft due to the lack of money.

Military expert Helmoed-Romer Heitman suggested that the SAAF was suffering from the state's indecision about its military expectations.

"An air force without fighter aircraft is a dead duck in Africa's military context. An army without helicopters and transport aircraft is a dinosaur in a swamp," he was quoted as saying in an IOL report.

"An army without attack and tactical transport helicopters is a lame duck. A navy without helicopters and maritime patrol planes is blind."

Source: http://news.iafrica.com/sa/872101.html